The Holiday Season
by Syrus
Summary: Sequel to The Return of Miles Edgeworth. Now that the holiday season has rolled around, Phoenix and Miles find themselves plagued with memories that they'd much rather leave in the past, looking for comfort in each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Miles sat at a bench near Gourd Lake waiting for Phoenix. He knew Phoenix tended to be late, usually because he didn't own a car or a license. He checked his watch for the time again, the expression on his face was not of agitation, but of deep concern. With the cases that Phoenix seemed to get himself tangled up in, Miles worried about his safety sometimes.

_Although, maybe I should just save some of that worry for myself…_Miles thought, finding it ironic that he, himself, was no stranger to death threats.

To tell the truth, Miles had thought he was late and had rushed to get ready and get there. He had forgotten his scarf and gloves. Not only that, he grabbed a lighter coat. The coat was warm and all, but this night was unexpectedly colder than he anticipated. His hands were getting the worst of it.

Phoenix puffed in exhaustion as he ran into Gourd Lake Park, knowing he was much later than usual. As he approached the lake, he saw Miles already waiting for him on a bench in front of the lake.

"Miles! Sorry I'm late..." Phoenix puffed out, taking a seat next to him, trying to catch his breath.

"Quite." Miles gave him a rare smile as he subconsciously rubbed his hands together for the millionth time. "For a second I thought you wouldn't show. Or worse." He gave a caring look at Phoenix, a look that would probably only be seen by the spiky haired attorney.

"Hey, I'd never leave you hanging." Phoenix said, smiling back at Miles.

Phoenix then realized that Miles was rubbing his hands together, trying to keep them warm in the chilly air.

"Oh, your hands are cold." Phoenix said, taking his hands out of his coat pockets, and enclosing Miles's icy hands in his.

"I was actually worried I'd be late and ended up forgetting a few needed garments." The warmth coming from Phoenix's hands felt nice against Miles's freezing ones. He wasn't sure why, but he seemed to feel a lot more easygoing ever since he started dating him.

What Phoenix didn't know was that he was followed. The followers being Maya and Mai.

"Hurry up Mai we don't want them to see us! Nick sure is mean, not telling me why he was going out!" The first reason being she thought Nick was going out to eat without her, but seemed impossible as he was in a rush to leave. So she was sure to see what events would unfold between the two as she now saw that he was on some kind of date with Miles. "Did you bring your camera Mai?"

"Yes, I did, but should we be spying on Phoenix and Miles like this? I don't know if this is such a great idea..." Mai said, holding her camera in her hands.

"Of course it is! Didn't you want to know where Phoenix was sneaking off to?" Maya said, a determined look on her face.

"Well, now we know, so maybe --" Mai started saying, but she realized Maya was no longer listening, since she was too busy watching Phoenix and Miles.

For a second Miles thought he had heard familiar voices, but disregarded it. It wasn't that late out and he knew couples liked going to the park when there was fresh snow.

"It's cold, but nice out." He referred more to the actual scenery than the temperature. Although Phoenix's warmth made up for it.

Mai had the distinct feeling that her camera would be used more than once. Scratch that, more than ten times.

Phoenix examined their surroundings quickly, deciding the coast was clear, and he slowly reached his arm around Miles, hugging close to him, affectionately rubbing his face against Miles's cheek.

"Give me the camera!" Maya whispered urgently to Mai, not even waiting for Mai to hand it to her, basically snatching it out of her hands.

"Oh, this is so cute!" Maya whispered as she clicked a few shots of Phoenix cuddling with Miles.

Mai just shook her head, realizing she was an accomplice to a blatant invasion of privacy.

Meanwhile, Miles scooted closer to Phoenix, letting the warmth from all the contact warm his body. He didn't realize how cold it really was until now. He couldn't help but think the way Phoenix expressed his affections were childish sometimes, although he didn't mind anyways.

"You know it's the Holidays for most people so they'd either be home or on some exotic vacation, Phoenix." Of course being with Phoenix was worth more than anything in the world, which included exotic vacations.

Mai really wanted to groan as she watched her film being used for spying. Maya must be proud. If she fails at being a spirit medium, she'd do great if she was part of the paparazzi. The only thing keeping her from making noise was because she didn't want to get caught nor deal with Maya for being angry at her for screwing up her chance at spying.

Phoenix knew that the scenery around Gourd Lake was exceptionally nice and romantic when it had just snowed so he decided he wanted to share that with Miles. 

He got up from the bench and offered a hand to Miles, saying, "Wanna take a walk around the lake?"

Miles grabbed the offered hand.

"I think I'd like that very much." He stood up smiling softly. However, it was during this time of year he couldn't enjoy everything to the fullest. _It was around this time I was convicted of murder...and also the same time I lost my father._ Although his nightmare seemed to have stopped recurring, it always seemed to come back during this time. _Maybe I should tell Phoenix this..._ Edgeworth didn't want to hide secrets from him anymore after all. He was so deep in thought he forgot for a second where he was located and why.

When Phoenix pulled Miles up from the bench, he noticed the slightly troubled look on his face.

"Miles...is something wrong?" Phoenix asked in some concern.

Miles felt himself suddenly pulled back to reality.

"Actually, yes. Do you remember when you defended me in court I told you about that nightmare I kept having?" He had started it so he might as well end it too. "Well, I still get it sometimes, even though everything had been resolved." He really wondered why he still dreamt of it.

"Oh, Miles..." Phoenix said, looking at him sympathetically.

Phoenix got up close to Miles and gently hugged him, not knowing how else he could provide comfort.

"It'll take some time to get over something like that…" Phoenix said quietly as he embraced Miles.

Miles wrapped his arms around him, surprised that he was already feeling a little bit better. He had realized why the occurrences hadn't been bothering him as much since he'd been with Phoenix. He knew he could rely on Phoenix in case he needed him. If he was ever in need of help, all he had to do was call. Dream or not, he decided wouldn't let his time with the person he loved go to waste.

"You know, Phoenix…We can't walk around the lake unless we move." The tone in his voice seemed to be a lot lighter than earlier and seemed to sound more relieved.

Phoenix smiled and said, "Alright, let's go."

As they began to walk around the lake, Phoenix nervously reached down and hesitantly took Miles's hand.

As they started walking, Miles felt Phoenix's hand take his hand. He returned the gesture by tightening the grip.

"Mai they're on the move! Come on!" Not waiting for Mai to say anything, she grabbed Mai and followed the two, making sure she wasn't seen nor heard. "Isn't this the cutest thing ever? I never thought Nick would be such a romanticist." Maya grinned happily watching the two.

"Maya...I think we should leave. They obviously want to be alone. We shouldn't be spying on them like this." Mai said as Maya dragged her after Miles and Phoenix.

"Oh, come on, Mai! You're no fun!" Maya said, not letting Mai go, trying to make sure they were behind trees and bushes so they wouldn't be seen.

Miles and Phoenix walked in practical silence, hand in hand, just enjoying the scenery and each other's company. Suddenly snow started falling out of the sky, making Phoenix feel like they were walking in a postcard. As they walked, a lovely clearing in the woods caught Phoenix's eye.

There was a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, and the snow covered trees framed the clearing perfectly. Phoenix tugged Miles over to the clearing and smiled at him.

"Wow...this is nice, isn't it?" Phoenix said softly in wonderment, realizing that he really didn't give nature enough credit as he examined the beautiful scene around them.

"So it is." Miles looked at the trees. It had been awhile since he had paid attention to his surroundings merely just to see and not for a case of any kind. It truly was a beautiful scene before them. Miles moved closer to Phoenix, laying his head on his shoulder. For once everything seemed perfect around them.

Maya watched the scene before them intently. "I hope they don't intend to just cuddle all night. You'd think Nick would try to kiss him by now." Mai held back the need to roll her eyes.

"Can we leave yet Maya?" All she got from Maya was silence as the other continued watching the two lovebirds.

Phoenix closed his arms around Miles and embraced him tightly, nuzzling Miles's head with his own. Even if it was freezing around them, Phoenix felt completely warm inside. In these rare times where he got a moment alone with Miles, the rest of the world dissolved away, leaving only Miles in front of him.

"I love you." Phoenix whispered in Miles's ear with a sigh.

Miles turned his head so that their lips were barely apart.

"I love you, too." Miles replied softly as he closed the gap between their lips, starting a passionate kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

But as quickly as it started it had ended. Something out of the corner of his eye he had saw someone. He broke the kiss to try and see who it was. All he had made out was that the owner had long dark hair. _Wait...don't we know someone with long hair?  
_  
"Phoenix...by any chance...did someone follow you?" He was sure he wasn't hallucinating. But the thought of someone seeing them as they were was horrifying.

"I don't think --" Phoenix started saying, but then it hit him who exactly it was.

Phoenix suddenly pulled away from Miles and spun around to face the trees behind him, yelling in annoyance, "Maya, come out! I know you're there!"

"You're such a party pooper." Maya came out from behind the trees grudgingly, the camera still around her neck.

Miles sighed, wondering if she would spy on every date they would go on. "Phoenix, last time I checked, she didn't seem like the type to carry any piece of technology on her." Her owning the camera made him feel extremely uncomfortable. She could have taken countless photos of them together.

"This is Mai's camera, she's here too!" Maya said in an accusatory tone, as she pointed toward the trees, not wanting to be the only one to get caught.

Mai rolled her eyes and joined them out in the clearing, not quite being able to meet Miles or Phoenix's eyes.

"I did not want to keep hanging around, Maya. That was your idea." Mai said, now feeling slightly guilty about ruining Phoenix and Miles's special moment.

Maya rolled her eyes and said, "But you came anyways and you could have left you know." She looked at Phoenix. "Well maybe if you told me where you were going I wouldn't have come." This was half true, she just wanted to know why he was in such a hurry, and Maya was one to get curious quite easily.

"For some reason I'd believe you would follow him even if you knew his reasons," Miles said, not quite happy with their date pretty much ruined.

"Maya, you shouldn't have followed us. And Mai...I'm just surprised. The least you could have done was not bring the camera." Phoenix said, also annoyed that his date was ruined.

Miles sighed again, deciding that yelling at the two wasn't going to change anything. Miles went back to rubbing his hands together, the cold finally getting to him again.

"It's the Holidays Nick! It's those times where you have fun with others, not brood all day by yourself." Maya pouted, obviously annoyed.

"In case you didn't notice, I wasn't here brooding! And I'm sure you have plenty of photographic evidence of that." Phoenix snapped at her, pretty annoyed that the first chance to be alone with Miles in a long time was ruined for no good reason.

_Brooding during the Holidays, now that was a familiar feel._ For once, Maya was absolutely right.

"Phoenix, how did you spend your Holidays before we were together?" Miles asked impulsively, not even sure why he suddenly asked.

"Oh." Phoenix said, suddenly looking sad, "Well, nothing special since I lost my parents...wasn't much to celebrate..."

Phoenix looked away from all of them, not liking to talk about his past. Miles's reasons for suddenly leaving were a sore spot for Miles, and this was Phoenix's.

Miles had also looked away, remembering losing his father. This little argument had suddenly taken a large turn for the worst. Miles realized that Phoenix never talking about his past, other than when they were in school, but he knew from the way Phoenix was reacting now, that it was better left unsaid. _Perhaps Phoenix's past Holidays were just as lonely as mine._ Edgeworth cut his thoughts short, wanting to change the subject as quickly as they could. He hated how his father's death…it always seemed to come up during this time.

"Well as we can all see, Maya has a plausible excuse. It really isn't fun to spend time by yourself." He was sure all of them knew this. He definitely didn't count being under Von Karma's wing as a holiday especially.

Phoenix sighed, all his annoyance leaving him, realizing that he should appreciate the people close to him in his life, especially during this time of year.

"Look, since we're all together now, why don't we go do something?" Phoenix said softly, quickly changing the subject.

Maya's face brightened happily. "Let's go eat somewhere!" Of course Maya would think with her stomach first. Mai rolled her eyes again.

Miles wasn't really paying attention anymore as he looked at Gourd Lake, mixed feelings eminent in his eyes.

"Hey, Nick! I want cake!" It seemed Maya would be choosing where they were eating. "How about we go to a cafe or something?"

Phoenix was still obviously distracted from Miles's question about the holidays when he said, "Yeah, I guess that's a good plan..."

Phoenix didn't make eye contact with anyone as he spoke, seeming like he suddenly wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. Maya frowned, obviously annoyed with both of their responses, although Miles didn't really give one in the first place.

Miles had been listening, just not feeling up to talking. But he really needed to steer this conversation elsewhere for Phoenix's sake. "I know a nice place you'd like Maya." He wasn't lying either, there was a nice cafe where he bought tea sometimes near his home. Perhaps he could get the three to stay over and maybe get Phoenix to talk a little about his past. Truthfully, now that they were all together he rather not spend the rest of the night alone. "I'll take you three to it, my treat." Maya's face shown brightly at these words.

"Oh, yay! I really owe you one, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya said in excitement.

Mai was also smiling, but she also noticed that Phoenix didn't even give any sort of reply. She wished she could have been there for him when his parents passed away, but at the time, she was living across the country with her parents. Her parents told her not to pry about the circumstances of their deaths, since they thought that would just make things more painful for Phoenix. But now, she really was curious. She hoped she would get a chance to ask him soon.

"Come on." He grabbed Phoenix by the wrist and started leading them to the cafe. He didn't care if people looked at them funny nor did he care if Phoenix said anything against it. Miles had decided he would help Phoenix through this. Even if it meant losing sleep or having to deal with his father's death by himself. Phoenix was too important for him to care about such small and trivial things as those. He also felt guilty that Phoenix had always helped him, but he never helped the other back. _Great. Now I feel like a selfish prat that took everything for granted._ He might as well get some type of conversation going, but he was at a lost of what to say. What was there to talk about to all three of them?

Phoenix was surprised when Miles grabbed his wrist, since Miles usually wasn't one for much public displays of their relationship, but he said nothing. He knew that he should try to be happy for the others, but, for once, his entire mood for having a good time was missing. He decided the best thing he could do was to endure the outing and then maybe try to go home to be alone. He never much liked bringing others down by talking of his parents' demise, so he kept it all to himself. Most of a time, this wasn't hard, but during the holidays he really felt the loss, just burying himself in work to forget.

The two girls followed quietly, much to Edgeworth's relief. Although Maya being silent was quite the shocker. Miles was thankful since the silence enabled him to think about everything now rather than later. Thoughts of the trial, his father's death, and his nightmare flooded in his mind. _I know I probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight, so the least I can do is help Phoenix in the process…_he thought.

The trial itself wasn't so bad, it was his father's death that bothered Miles. If he got him to talk, he was pretty sure thoughts of his father would surface too. _I won't let weakness get the better of me. I'll help him through this as much as I can..._

The little cafe Miles was talking about was soon coming into view and that made Maya even more excited. _She sure gets excited easily when it comes to food..._Miles thought in surprise.

Finally, they got into cafe and were seated. When Maya got the menu, she kept chattering on about all the great stuff on there, but only Mai paid any real attention to what she said, both Miles and Phoenix in their own little worlds. Unfortunately both of their worlds were sad and lonely places that others were seldom allowed into.

Miles had opened his menu, but wasn't really looking at it. He always ordered the same thing and was really just wanting to avoid eye contact for the time being.

"Order anything you like, although as much as I enjoy treating you I don't want to waste over fifty bucks on just cakes." Of course he was referring to Maya. He wasn't sure how much the girl really ate, but she seemed to always be hungry whenever he saw her.

Maya gave Miles a pouty look and said, "Oh, fine. But that makes picking so hard! So many good things, I just can't choose!"

Phoenix looked at the menu disinterestedly until he finally said, "I really don't feel like having any cake. I think I'll just have some coffee."

_This girl eats like 5 grown men!_ Miles thought in surprise as he signaled a waiter to come and take there order. _Hmm..coffee at this time? That's unusual..._ He looked over at Mai. "You haven't said anything since we got here, is there nothing you want?"

Mai did her best to hold in a laugh and said, "I think Maya will order enough for all of us...I don't think she'd notice if a snuck a piece of one of her cakes."

Maya suddenly gave Mai a look of warning that clearly said, 'Don't you even think of coming in between me and my cakes.' and this finally made Mai crack up.

Miles chose to ignore that. Those two were quite a pair, in a comical way, but he was in no mood to laugh. Turning to the waiter, "Tea please, and he'd like to have coffee." He turned to Maya. "Please tell him what you want."

Maya looked as though she was deep in thought, well until she asked the waiter to come over and pointed to a bunch of cakes on the menu. Mai made a noise that sounded extremely similar to a snort. Miles looked at his watch. It really was much later than he thought it was. He watched the waiter, who looked slightly stupefied at the thought of a girl her size eating every one of those pieces, before talking again. "How about after this you guys stay for the night? It's already late and Pess always likes people." Although the hidden message in his words was obvious, he didn't want to spend the rest of the night alone. And he wanted to feel the joy of the holidays at least once more.

"Oh, like a sleepover? I love sleepovers! We should totally have a Steel Samurai movie marathon night!" Maya said in excitement.

Mai just watched her face in amusement, but she said nothing in disagreement, since she actually thought that this might be a fun idea.

"Well, Phoenix?" He knew that Phoenix knew he'd lost anyways. Maya was already excited and would probably do anything to get Phoenix to agree.

Phoenix took a moment longer than absolutely necessary to reply, finally looked at Miles and said, "What? Oh, yeah, it's fine if they come."

Miles looked at him with impatience. "Not just them Phoenix, you too." The waiter had came back with their orders and left to get the receipt.

"Me? Oh, I don't know...I think I'm feeling a little...tired." Phoenix said in hesitation, feeling like his bad mood would just bring the group down.

Phoenix thought about things for a moment and decided that maybe it wouldn't be so great to be alone when he felt like this, so he said softly, "Alright, I'll come."

Miles took a sip of his tea, but already disinterested with it, put it back down. "She eats...fast." He watched Maya practically engulf each piece of cake.

In spite of his mood, the sight of Maya inhaling her food brought a small smile to Phoenix's face, her ability to eat that fast always baffling him.

"That's Maya for you." he said.

Miles paid the receipt with his credit card and left a few dollar bills on the table. "We should get going before it gets any later." He stood up.

Phoenix got up and followed Miles out of the cafe wordlessly, while Maya chattered on about which Steel Samurai movies they should rent and which were her favorites with Mai. They all walked back to the parking lot by Gourd Lake together, and then Mai and Maya agreed to go rent the movies and meet Miles and Phoenix at Miles's home after that. Phoenix walked over to the passenger side door of Miles's car and waited to be let inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Miles unlocked the doors to his car before going inside through the driver's door. He inserted the key and turned on his car, so that he could also turn on the heater. He buckled his seat belt and waited for Phoenix to do the same.

Phoenix quickly shut his door and buckled his belt and quietly said, "At least it's warm in here."

Miles nodded quietly, before concentrating on driving home. All the homes around his house had bright, cheerful, colorful lights and other Holiday decorations. His, however, had none. He never gave a though of buying ornaments of any kind since he was home alone most of the time. Compared to everyone else's, his seemed a lot gloomier.

When Miles finally parked and stopped the car, Phoenix got out, waiting to follow Miles to the door of Miles's home. Phoenix had also made note of the lack of decoration and light on Miles's house, and usually he would have cracked a joke about it, but now he felt that this ironically fit his mood.

Miles got out of his car, locking it after. He went to his front door to unlock it. Right when the door made a click noise, signaling it was unlock, Pess's loud barks could be heard. He opened the door and Pess scrambled out barking loudly. He first went for Miles, but after seeing Phoenix, he bounded towards him, tail wagging viciously.

Phoenix saw Pess coming toward him, so he bent down and gave Pess a few half hearted pets. Pess stopped wagging his tail and seemed to regard Phoenix curiously for a moment before letting out a little whine, as if he was asking Phoenix what was wrong. Phoenix just let out a little sigh, pet Pess a few more times, and then stood up to join Miles inside.

Miles had already disappeared into the living room. The house was chillier than he thought it would be.

"Phoenix, close the door once Pess comes back in." He was starting a fire in his fireplace. He probably would have to turn on the heater too. The fireplace only warmed the living room and the heater only seemed to warm up the bedrooms.

Phoenix called to Pess to get him back in the house, and then he shut the door, also feeling cold. When he entered the living room, he was glad to see Miles starting a fire, feeling like sitting in front of a fire was a nice idea in this sort of weather. Phoenix just took a seat on a couch in the living room, watching Miles.

Once the fire started, Miles stood up.

"I'm going to get spare blankets and pillows." He walked out of the living room, also turning on the heater since the girls would be occupying one of the rooms to watch their movies, than he proceeded to retrieve what he was intentionally getting. Pess had followed Phoenix and was now sitting at Phoenix's feet pawing at him. Although that seemed quickly to bore the dog too. Pess left to find a toy of some kind, hitting the small tablet next to the couch, one of the picture frames falling onto it next to Phoenix.

Phoenix reached over, picking up the fallen picture to see if the glass in the frame had cracked. When he determined the frame was alright, he examined the picture. He realized it was the picture everyone had taken together after the trial where Phoenix had defended Miles.

_How did he get a copy of this picture...?_ Phoenix thought, surprised he'd never noticed it's presence in the living room before.

The rest of the small table seemed to be lined with pictures from when they were still in the same school together. Unlike the Edgeworth now, the child in the pictures was smiling happily, his eyes shining with that of a carefree child in those frames. A loud thud and barking was heard in the hallway, which was soon followed by shouts.

"Pess!!" Anyone would find this current scene hilarious. It seemed that Pess had been able to get his master down and was now seated on top of the many blankets and pillows that were on top of Miles.

Phoenix rushed over when he heard the thud and shouts to find Pess pinning Miles down under all the blankets, frantically licking his face. Phoenix couldn't help but be amused.

"Need a little help?" Phoenix asked softly, a half smile on his face.

"Must you ask?" Miles couldn't help but smile slightly. Pess barked happily, seeming to be much happier now that they were smiling a little more.

Phoenix called Pess over to get him off of Miles, and then he simultaneously pet Pess and held out a hand to help Miles up.

Miles took his hand. "T-Thanks." It seemed he still had trouble saying his thanks to others. Pess barked happily, enjoying the petting.

Phoenix just smiled and pulled Miles up. Phoenix gave Pess one last nuzzle behind the ears, and then he took some of the blankets that Miles was holding to help him carry them out to the living room. When they got there, Phoenix's eyes once again fell on that picture.

"Hey, Miles...how did you get that picture?" Phoenix asked after setting down the blankets he was carrying on the sofa near him.

"Urk!" Miles said in surprise to the question.

To tell the truth, getting that picture was harder than it seemed. It had taken him a good week to find the pointless information Lotta Hart wanted and he didn't even know why she needed it. He also was given very suspicious looks and was questioned by Lotta when he had asked for the photo. He quickly put the blankets and pillows down and proceeded to change the subject.

"I wonder when those two will arrive."

Phoenix wondered for a moment why Miles avoided his question, but then he remembered that it was Lotta who took the picture, and for Miles to get the picture, he must have had to dig up some rather strange information for her. Phoenix decided that maybe he was better off not knowing.

"I think it's taking them a while since Maya is horribly indecisive when she has a large amount of choices to see." Phoenix said in amusement as he remembered the last time he went to rent movies with Maya.

"I suppose she's coming with more than one movie." _More like more than ten movies..._He bet Phoenix was thinking the same thing. He was relieved Phoenix didn't question why he had avoided the question about the picture though. "Just what type of movies does she rent anyways?" That isn't the Steel Samurai or Pink Princess? He sat next to Pess who had ended up lying near the fireplace lazily.

"Well, she does like the Steel Samurai and Pink Princess movies a lot, but she sure loves those romantic comedies." Phoenix said with a small smile, walking to Miles and then taking a seat next to him in front of the fire place.

The closeness to Miles felt really nice, and it helped Phoenix feel slightly better. Phoenix lay his head lightly on Miles's shoulder, trying to get relaxed.

"I thought she was more for the action movies than romantic ones." Miles leaned so that his head was slightly resting on Phoenix's, looking into the fire. He wanted to ask him so many questions, but not yet. He didn't want to get interrupted so he would have to wait. He pulled Phoenix closer to him, enjoying his company immensely.

Phoenix wasn't much in the mood to talk, so he didn't really say anything. He just snuggled close to Miles and let out a little sigh, glad that he'd finally found a quiet moment with Miles.

That quiet moment was soon destroyed as a loud banging noise was heard on his door. Pess barked and ran for the door, knowing more people had come. Miles sighed and asked, "She does know there's such things as doorbells right?" Miles said dryly as he lightly pushed Phoenix off so he could get the door and let the two in before Maya broke down his currently abused door, as Pess was now pawing at it too.

When Miles opened the door, Maya and Mai came in quickly since it was pretty cold outside at this point, the light slowly fading.

"Sorry we took so long...Maya took forever to pick the movies she wanted to see." Mai said, rolling her eyes a little at how long it took.

"Hey! I wanted to make sure we had the perfect movies!" Maya said defensively, looking at Mai in slight annoyance.

"Exactly how many movies did you rent?" He closed the door after them, locking it. Pess ran around the two, wanting to be petted. "The heater is on so the rooms are warm and the fireplace in the living room is lit. There are also blankets on the couch." He was already heading back to the living room, already missing Phoenix's company.

Maya noticed Pess running around both of them, so she bent down and enthusiastically petted him and played with him a little. Mai looked into the living room and noticed Phoenix was sitting by the fire and Miles going back to join him. She decided that she and Maya had already ruined their date, so the least that they could do now was leave them alone for a while.

"Hey, Maya, maybe we should start on those movies inside." Mai said, making her way to the room in the back that had the tv.

"But what about Nick and Mr. Edgeworth? Wouldn't they want to see them too?" Maya said, starting to go to the living room to ask them to watch the movies too.

"I really think we should leave them alone. We already ruined their date, you know." Mai said in a firm tone, "Also...I think they should talk. Phoenix has seemed to be in a bad mood since we left Gourd Lake."

Maya pondered this momentarily and then said, "Yeah...I guess you're right."

Maya went into the living room to get some blankets for herself and Mai and then left quickly to not disturb Miles and Phoenix.

Miles grabbed one of the larger blankets and seated himself next to Phoenix, wrapping it around the both of them. Luckily, Pess had followed Maya and Mai to the room where they'd be watching the movies. He wanted to ask Phoenix, but he suddenly found himself afraid of bringing back painful memories to him. But he knew that if he didn't ask, Phoenix would keep acting this way.

"Phoenix...I want to ask you something."

"Hmmm?" Phoenix asked softly, putting his arms around Miles to snuggle with him.

Phoenix had a feeling about what Miles wanted to ask him. He took a deep breath to as if to give himself some strength and he waited for Miles to ask.

"I-I..." He paused trying to collect himself. "I want to know what happened to your parents." Miles wrapped his arms around Phoenix pulling him as close as he could.

Phoenix was silent for a long moment, feeling his eyes beginning to tear up.

"I really miss them, you know..." Phoenix whispered softly, trying not to break down so that he could keep talking.

Miles was quiet, but he was listening. He knew the feeling and it showed in his eyes, but he wasn't going to cry this time. He would be strong for Phoenix so he could get through this.

Phoenix took another deep breath so that he could keep talking.

"I was about 20 at the time and I'd just had my license for a few weeks. My parents and I had taken a trip up to the mountains for the holidays. On the way back, I wanted to drive since I finally had my license and all…by the time we left the mountain lodge, it was getting dark, and it was hard to see the road, so I was driving really slow."

Phoenix's voice began to quiver, but he willed himself on.

"…I suddenly saw headlights coming up really fast behind us from around the curve in the road, and before we even knew what was happening, we were hit hard and our car was spinning out of control."

Miles had started stroking Phoenix's head, but remained silent. He didn't want to stop Phoenix from talking while he still had the strength to. Many thoughts went through his head, that it became hard to tell what he was actually thinking or not. He kept Phoenix as close to himself as he could. _So he had a license at one point..._ He could already tell that the outcome would be horrifying, but he didn't know at what level. He felt guilty for some reason. It seemed that his father's death was less traumatizing than what Phoenix had went through, although he had completely forgotten about the age differences at this time.

Phoenix could feel the tears welling up in his eyes now, but he ignored that and kept talking.

"Finally we hit the divider on the side of the road, and we teetered on the edge of the mountain cliff before falling off. As soon as we crashed to the ground, I passed out. When I woke up, I realized that I was still in the driver's seat, and that the car had crashed on the passenger side of the car where my dad was sitting. I tried to see if he was alright, but it was just so dark…I looked behind me and I saw my mom hanging limply from the seatbelt in the seat behind me."

Miles couldn't even bring himself to imagine the scene Phoenix had just described. _To lose your parents...and actually see them dead like that..._ The thought made his whole body feel cold even though he was underneath a blanket near the fire. It scared him even more to think that Phoenix could have died with them. The thought of losing Phoenix sent a jolt of pain through his heart. _It's selfish of me to think this way right now..._ He couldn't help it though. Phoenix had become too important to him. He kept his eyes on him though. Even though it hurt to see tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't turn away, it would be a cowardly thing to do. He wished he could do something to ease the pain, but he didn't know how to. At least not at the moment. Miles reached a hand forward to lightly touch Phoenix's face, as if to show him his support.

Now Phoenix's voice was cracking, and the tears started running freely down his cheeks.

"I…I pushed my door open…undid my seat belt and crawled out somehow. I…I wanted…to help them…but, God, everything hurt…I felt so weak…I passed out again when I was out of the car. When…I woke up…I was in the hospital. I kept asking them if my parents were alright…but finally they told me they were dead…"

By this point, having relived the entire horrible experience, he started choking on silent sobs.

"…God…I keep feeling like it was my fault…" Phoenix whispered between his sobs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Miles kept whispering into his ears sweet words of comfort, stroking his hair, and softly wiping away his tears. _Oh please, let me relieve some of his pain somehow!_ If only he could take it all away, all his suffering and troubles. But he knew it was impossible. _So this is why he doesn't drive anymore..._ He continued whispering comforting words and started cradling him.

"It isn't your fault Phoenix. No one could have seen something like this happening." He cursed the driver who had caused this. He cursed this person for causing Phoenix so much pain. He cursed himself for not being able to do more than just try comforting him.

Phoenix heard Miles's whispered words of comfort, but he just couldn't stop crying, holding on to Miles tightly. This was the first time he'd actually told the whole story to another person, and in a strange way, he felt like a huge weight was lifted off of him. It felt good to let it all out at last. Finally, Phoenix's tears stopped, and a few moments later he spoke.

"Mom used to love Christmas...she'd always decorate our house and make the best Christmas dinner ever. Dad and I got used to get the Christmas tree, and dad would always complain about how much trouble it was to get a tree every year, then set it up, and then throw it away within a couple of weeks, but I knew he never meant it...he just said it to tease mom..." Phoenix said quietly, a small sad smile coming to his lips as he reminisced about past holidays he spent with his parents.

"Who says we can't do that anymore? There's you, me, Mai, and Maya. We could invite others as well. I know we can't replace your family, Phoenix, but your parents wouldn't want you to throw away the holidays." He remembered past Christmases with his own father. Although it was only the two of them, he had always felt like he was the most loved child in the world. Miles wiped whatever tears that remained on Phoenix's face, smiling in a loving and comforting way. Miles wasn't a party type either, but if he could make Phoenix happy, he didn't care.

Phoenix raised his head to look into Miles's eyes, and he could see how much Miles loved him. He knew Miles hated parties and social gatherings, but Miles was still willing to do it for him. Phoenix was on the verge of tears again, but this time they were happy tears.

"Thank you..." he whispered, extremely touched by Miles's gesture.

A wave of fear had washed over his face when he saw Phoenix on the verge of tears. Miles still had a lot of trouble with telling when people were shedding tears of joy of tears of sadness. _Did I do something wrong?! Why is he at the verge of tears??  
_  
"Y-You're welcome..?" Had he really helped Phoenix? Human emotion was still a tricky thing Miles had trouble understanding.

Phoenix suddenly had a small smile appearing on his face at the look of confusion on Miles's face, finding it funny for some reason.

Phoenix leaned forward and hugged Miles tightly, saying, "I love you."

A look of surprise soon surfaced on his features. _One second he's about to cry and the next second he's smiling??!_ But the hug felt nice and he returned it happily.

"I love you, too." A soft smile soon tugged on his own features.

After just holding on to Miles for many moments, Phoenix finally said, "You know...you're the first person I've told about my parents..."

Miles didn't know what to say, so he responded with another hug. There were plenty of other people that he could have told, yet he was the first. Although he felt somewhat happy that Phoenix trusted him enough to tell him. He suddenly looked at the clock, and realized it was getting late.

"We should sleep..." Miles didn't want to move though. He was comfortable where he was and felt like they were already in a perfect spot.

"Mmmmmmm...yeah..." Phoenix said softly, feeling extremely drained from all the emotional revelation.

But Phoenix didn't want to move either, feeling so warm and secure in Miles's arms.

"I don't know about you, but I don't really want to move." Miles rested his head on Phoenix's shoulder comfortably.

"Mmmmmm..." was all Phoenix said, already beginning to fall asleep in Miles's arms.

Phoenix held onto Miles tightly as he let go and fell into sleep.

When Mai and Maya got through their third movie, Mai noticed it was getting rather late, and Phoenix and Miles never joined them to watch any movies.

_I guess they had a lot to talk about...I hope everything is okay with Phoenix..._Mai thought in slight worry, since whatever she heard about Phoenix's parents' death was horrible.

Instead of falling asleep, Miles watched Phoenix with tender eyes. He was a little tired, but felt that he should watch him just in case. He'd watch until the morning sun rose. He had to make breakfast for them since they were still his guests. But luckily the kitchen was right next to the living room. He looked around time to time, but usually had his eyes on Phoenix. _He looks peaceful...that's good._ He smiled softly, it seemed Phoenix had fallen asleep peacefully, but that didn't mean he would fall asleep. He let his mind wander, thinking about what had Phoenix said and thinking of his father.

As the credits of the movie were rolling, Maya said quietly and with slight sleepiness, "Wow, Nick and Mr. Edgeworth never made it back here, did they?"

Mai replied, "Yeah...I think they wanted to talk about what happened to Phoenix's parents...Now I don't know the whole story myself, but I think they died in a car accident."

"Wow..." Maya said in sympathy, "I never knew..."

Maya seemed thoughtful for a moment and then she spoke again.

"Maybe we should check on them?"

Maya didn't wait for Mai's reply, and just went out to the living room to see what was going on. She quickly stopped approaching Miles and Phoenix when she saw they were sitting silently in front of the fire place and Phoenix's eyes were clearly closed. For once, she decided not to bother them, thinking that they were both asleep.

Maya quietly came back to the room she and Mai watched the movies in and said, "I think they're both asleep. Oh, they look so cute sleeping in front of the fireplace like that!"

Mai was glad to hear that Phoenix was sleeping peacefully and she gave a slight smile at Maya's comment of their cuteness.

"I guess we should get to sleep too." Mai said.

Miles watched as the flames were slowly dying before he realized he'd be in the dark. He wasn't really afraid of the dark, but it made him feel uneasy. The dark had always reminded him of the elevator he had gotten trapped in those many years ago. But seeing Phoenix sleeping calmed him down. He kept glancing at the clock every so often, although he never properly looked at it. He kept thinking about what would have happened if Phoenix died with his parents. The thought itself was scary enough. He smiled sheepishly as he thought, _To think he'd become this important to me..._

He checked the clock again to find that it had turned seven. The time flew by pretty quickly. He slowly moved away from Phoenix, making sure he was comfortably under the blanket and in a comfortable position. He got up shivering slightly. The room had become quite chilly again. He headed for the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. He went to his pantry taking out pancake mix and a bag of chocolate chips. He had also reluctantly grabbed the only apron that he owned. Larry had given it to him as some joke, but realizing he didn't have any other apron, he was now forced to wear this one. It just had to be pink and frilly with a flowery pattern. _Thanks a lot, Larry._ Hopefully he could finish cooking these before anyone woke up. He got a large bowl out and started mixing the ingredients together.

Soon after Miles left to make breakfast, Phoenix started missing Miles's warmth, causing him to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes, and realized he was lying alone on the floor, wrapped in a blanket. He could also smell something cooking in the kitchen, so he figured that's where Miles went. He got up and slowly made his way to the kitchen, trying to wake up.

He saw Miles at the stove, so he approached him and said, "Good morning."

When Miles turned toward him to reply, Phoenix's eyes went wide when he saw what Miles was wearing, and then he suddenly started laughing, the whole thing taking him by surprise.

Miles felt his face get extremely hot. He had hoped Phoenix didn't come while he was cooking.

"S-Stop laughing Phoenix!" He immediately turned back to the stove. One reason was because he still had to finish cooking. The second was to avoid facing Phoenix with a face redder than a tomato. "This was the only apron I had." Although he knew it wouldn't matter to Phoenix. It wasn't everyday you walked in on Miles Edgeworth in an apron meant for a girl. He felt foolish, extremely foolish.

"...Fr...frills!" Phoenix got out between laughs.

After a couple minutes of laughing, Phoenix finally calmed down, but the big smile wouldn't leave his face.

Miles just wanted to throw the apron at Phoenix's face right now.

"Yes...Phoenix, I k-know it has frills." He tried to sound calm but the embarrassment left him stammering to get his sentences completed. _At least someone is amused._

Phoenix realized that he was really embarrassing Miles with the way he laughed, so he slowly came up behind Miles and slipped his arms around his waist.

Phoenix affectionately nuzzled his head against Miles's neck as he hugged him and softly said, "Well, it looks nice on you."

Miles made a small noise, similar to what maybe a small animal like a mouse or something would make, in surprise of the sudden contact with Phoenix.

He felt Phoenix's head against the back of his neck and suddenly found that he was having trouble from giggling or laughing. "P-Phoenix stop t-t-that it tickles." It seemed no one had ever tried tickling him before so he never actually knew if he was ticklish or not. "Y-You're only saying that because you think it's funny."

"Hmmm...maybe a little..." Phoenix admitted, "But this definitely made my morning."

Phoenix smiled and leaned forward to give Miles a kiss on the cheek from behind.

Of course this would make his morning. Not only had he successfully gotten Miles flustered enough to stammer. Phoenix now even knew one of Edgeworth's weaknesses.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Seeing me in an apron has made your morning?" _I feel more like a housewife right now. _His face had become a little less red, but it was still obvious he was still embarrassed.

Phoenix waited to reply until Miles turned the gas off, so that distracting Miles wouldn't result in the house burning down.

"It really has..." Phoenix whispered in Miles's ear, embracing him tightly as he planted a few kisses on Miles's neck.

That tickling feeling came back again.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Miles never thought that Phoenix would have the upper hand this way. His hand had immediately went for his neck, trying to keep all contact away from it.

Phoenix grabbed the hand that Miles raised up to protect his neck and used it to spin Miles around so that he was facing him. Then Phoenix captured his lips before he could say anything else.

His eyes widened in shock as he was suddenly in a tender kiss with Phoenix. His face grew hot again and his heart felt like it was fluttering. His eyes fluttered close as he wrapped his free arm around Phoenix's neck.

Phoenix just began to deepen the kiss when Maya bounced into the kitchen.

"Hey, what's for breakfast? I could smell something nice--" Maya started saying when she noticed Phoenix and Miles were kissing.

Mai soon followed after Maya and noticed that Maya had interrupted Phoenix and Miles yet again.

_Why does it seem that whenever we start to kiss something happens?_ Miles thought as he broke the kiss and pointed at a large plate of pancakes.

"Pan...cakes." he said, catching his breath.

Miles seemed to be getting used to this because he felt a little less embarrassed than he used to when she usually barged in on them.

Maya snorted and seemed to be stifling laughter. It seemed she had caught sight of the apron, although Miles had completely forgotten about it by now.

"Wow, you two can't seem to keep your hands off each other, now can you? Oh, and by the way...nice apron, Mr. Edgeworth." Maya said with an obvious look of amusement on her face.

Mai also thought the apron was hilarious, but she stifled her laughter and started eating to keep from laughing.

Miles immediately turned bright red and had pushed Phoenix away hurriedly trying to get the horrendous apron off himself.

"I-I'd like to make it c-clear that I-I didn't buy it." He said, finding himself stammering again. He had the distinct feeling Phoenix's grin had grown wider. And what from he knew, wide grins always signaled something was going to happen.

Phoenix himself was almost used to getting interrupted when he was with Miles, people walking in on them happening much more than he wished it to.

While Miles's eyes were on Maya, Phoenix took this opportunity to slowly raise his hands up to Miles's neck and tickle him.

"S-Stop that!" Miles said in surprise, who immediately stopped trying to get the apron off and put his hands to his neck. He turned to face Phoenix who was grinning broadly.

Mai found this scene extremely amusing. _At least Phoenix seems to be a lot happier now. _She smiled happily, relieved that he was back to himself, maybe being a little more silly than usual.

Phoenix tried tickling Miles some more, but he decided that he'd rather that Maya and Mai weren't there watching him, so he stopped.

"Okay...I think I've had my fun." Phoenix said in a mock serious voice.

"Oh so the defense rests?" Miles replied playfully, also with a mock serious tone, and it seemed a pointless game had started.

Miles took this chance to get the apron off and put it away.

Mai whispered to Maya, "Are they always like this?"

"Only temporarily." Phoenix replied, his tone now challenging, but his eyes were sparkling in amusement.

"Oh, yes...you should see them when they're in court..." Maya said, whispering back to Mai.

"Is that a challenge, Wright?" Miles said, continuing this charade, deliberately using Phoenix's last name.

"They look more like they're trying to see who'll be the first one to crack a smile..." Mai couldn't help but grin at the two.

"Oh, you just wait, Edgeworth. When the time is right, you won't even know what hit you." Phoenix said, giving Miles one of his courtroom smirks.

"Yeah, that's the way things usually go with them. I think it's kinda funny to watch, really." Maya said, also finding their ridiculous exchange funny.

"Oh don't you worry, Wright. I'll be ready for anything you throw at me." He returned Phoenix's smirk with one of his own.

"You two should come and eat before Maya eats all the pancakes!" Mai grinned as Maya gave her one of her pouts.

"Alright, alright." Phoenix said, finally breaking out with a large smile on his face.

Phoenix helped himself to the pancakes, and he had to say that they were delicious. Not that he expected any less from Miles Edgeworth, but still.

Miles had went to grab mugs, a carton of orange juice and another that had milk and started boiling water. He was pretty sure the two girls didn't drink coffee. And he always drank tea regardless. He set the cups and cartons down on the table before sitting next to Phoenix.

"These are really good Mr. Edgeworth." Maya said happily, but of course Maya seemed to like most food.

"Yeah, Miles, they really are." Phoenix said, smiling.

Finally everyone sat down together and ate, talking about whatever came to their minds. Maya and Mai appeared to have had a really good time watching the movies last night, while Phoenix, though he kept this to himself, felt much better opening a side of himself he kept hidden from the rest of the world to Miles.

"You know Mr. Edgeworth...we should do this more often!" Maya said in excitement, "Next time I want you and Nick to watch the movies with us! You guys are just missing out!"

Miles was about to say something when Pess came in and jumped onto his lap, tail wagging.

"Alright, I get it, Pess." Pess got off and headed for the door that led to the backyard, Miles following so he could let the energetic dog out. Maya had begun rambling about how amazing the heroes in the movie were, most of the time the words steel, samurai, pink, and princess appearing to be in her sentences.

"You really should have seen it Nick! It was amazing, even Pess seemed excited." Maya seemed to miss the part that Pess always was excited when there were guests over.

"Really? Maybe you should take Pess with you the next time you see a Pink Princess film in the theater." Phoenix said with a small smile, his statement obviously sarcastic.

"Hmmm...maybe I should..." Maya said slowly and thoughtfully, making Mai laugh since she realized that Maya missed Phoenix's sarcasm.

"What's so funny?!" Maya looked at them in confusion. Miles had returned while Maya poked at Mai about why she was laughing.

_I think I'm better off not knowing what just happened,_ Miles thought as he sat back down taking a sip of his tea.

Mai looked at the clock in the kitchen and realized that she had work today.

"Oh no, if I don't get going now, I'll be late for work!" Mai said, quickly getting up from the table to get her stuff from the bedroom.

When she came out of the bedroom, she said, "Maya, I can take you home on the way."

Maya looked over to Phoenix as if to ask if this was okay, and he said, "Yeah, you can go home. I was going to take today off anyway."

"Okay!" Maya smiled at Phoenix, replying to Mai, and got up to follow Mai inside to get her own stuff and the movies. "We should do this again real soon Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles didn't respond and took another sip of his tea. He wasn't sure his taste of movies matched with Maya's. He'd have to ask Phoenix what type of plots all these movies she watched had.

"Bye!" Mai said as she and Maya made their way out of the door.

Finally Phoenix and Miles were alone.

Remembering that the blankets in the living room were still on the floor Miles got up to go put them away. "Just what exactly are those movies about?"

"You mean Steel Samurai and Pink Princess?" Phoenix asked curiously.

"I guess. I don't know what movies she rented." Miles had his back turned as he picked up the blanket.

"Well, I never paid much attention to either series, but Maya seems to be quite a huge fan of them, so I'm sure we'll be made to watch a few of them." Phoenix replied in amusement.

Phoenix got up from the table as Miles was tidying up the living room, figuring this was as good a time as any to strike. Phoenix slowly snuck up behind Miles and started tickling his neck vigorously.

"I suppose we will eventually." He was so busy folding the blankets that he didn't notice Phoenix sneak up onto him until he attacked his neck.

"Urk!" He dropped the blankets turning around. "W-Would you stop doing that?!" He definitely did not like that grin on Phoenix's face.

"I told you that you wouldn't be ready when I strike next, Edgeworth." Phoenix said mischievously.

Phoenix began to chase Miles around the room trying to tickle him. Phoenix was fast! _It must have been from all the times he went investigating._ Miles thought as he darted and weaved away from Phoenix. All that walking had given Phoenix a clear advantage, but Miles refused to let him get to him so easily.

"I-I object to this!" Miles said, but he knew that Phoenix would probably continue chase anyways.

Phoenix continued chasing and tickling and said, "Objection overruled. You're mine!"

Phoenix finally jumped on him and tackled him to the couch and proceeded to tickle Miles until he was breathless, loving to make Miles giggle like that. 

While both of them caught their breaths, Miles from the tickling and Phoenix from running around after him, Phoenix said in amusement, "Geez, you really put up quite a fight."

Miles sides hurt from all the laughing, but he didn't mind. "You're such a child sometimes, you know that?" He smiled tenderly at the other.

"And you know I don't like to lose. It wouldn't be half as fun if I didn't fight back now would it?" Miles wrapped his arms around Phoenix's neck, pulling him down into a deep, passionate kiss. He was pretty sure no one would barge on them this time.

Phoenix didn't fight this at all, quickly burying his hands in Miles's hair, glad that no one would be interrupting them now. Phoenix was so happy to have Miles, feeling closer to him than he ever had before.

Miles broke the kiss, slightly from being out of breath. "Well you've successfully caught me, but I don't know what to give as a prize."

This statement made a devious smile come to Phoenix's face.

Phoenix dropped his voice as he spoke, "I think I have an idea."

Miles looked at him, his eyes full of question. He had never seen Phoenix smile that way.

"What type of idea?" Miles asked curiously, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Well..." Phoenix said, his sentence suddenly dropping off when he forcefully pulled Miles up by grabbing onto his shirt and locked him in what he felt like was the most intense kiss they'd ever shared.

When Phoenix pulled away, a mischievous look was in his eyes as he said, "I think that about explains it..."

The sudden kiss had made Miles breathless. He had never felt such intensity coming from Phoenix, at least not until now. But with such a kiss, there was no mistake about what Phoenix was implying.

"Y-You mean r-right now and here?" Miles said, stammering a bit. He didn't know why but he felt nervous, although he felt slightly flustered from the kiss too.

When Phoenix saw Miles reacting so nervously, he started feeling a little nervous himself.

Phoenix started his statement with a small smile, but then ended it by looking at Miles seriously, "I see no reason why not...but, I mean...if you didn't want to..."

"No…it's not that…it's just…t-this would be my first time." He looked away suddenly feeling a little shy. It was true, he had been caught up with trying to become a prosecutor he never thought of having any relationship with anyone. "I'm just a little afraid..."

Phoenix gently put his hand on Miles's face and gave him a comforting look, and nervously replied, "Umm…this would actually be my first time too…ummm…with a man that is…"

Miles didn't know what to say, but Phoenix made him feel a lot less anxious. So instead he pulled Phoenix into another intense, passionate kiss. He was still very nervous, but he was sure. It was Phoenix he was with after all. And he'd trust Phoenix no matter what happened.


End file.
